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From a small Swedish town to a Finnish city

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Heikki Paunonen
Heikki Paunonen
Affiliation:
University of Tampere
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Abstract

The development of language conditions in Helsinki makes it possible to observe many processes of sociolinguistic interest. By European standards, the beginning itself is exceptional. Helsinki was originally founded in the middle of a Swedish-speaking area, which means that it lacked all natural connections with any basis of Finnish dialect from which urban colloquial language and standard spoken Finnish might have emerged. However, throughout the 20th century Helsinki has been the most important Finnish-speaking city, and its colloquial Finnish has served as a model for the evolution of colloquial Finnish throughout the country. One may well wonder how colloquial Helsinki Finnish came into existence in the course of only a few decades and consolidated its position as the model for everyday Finnish.

Type
Research Article
Information
Language Variation and Change , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , March 1993 , pp. 51 - 59
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

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